HIC Food Safety & HACCP Principles 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following best describes a Critical Control Point (CCP) in a HACCP plan?
- Any step where a food safety hazard can be prevented, eliminated, or reduced to acceptable levels (Correct answer)
- A point in the process where only biological hazards are controlled
- A documentation checkpoint required by the FDA for all food facilities
- A step where product quality is evaluated by a trained sensory panel
Correct answer: Any step where a food safety hazard can be prevented, eliminated, or reduced to acceptable levels
A CCP is a step at which control can be applied to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a food safety hazard to an acceptable level.
Question 2: A HACCP plan is built on several prerequisite programs. Which of the following is NOT typically considered a prerequisite program?
- Pest control program
- Supplier verification program
- Critical limit monitoring log (Correct answer)
- Sanitation standard operating procedures (SSOPs)
Correct answer: Critical limit monitoring log
Critical limit monitoring logs are part of the HACCP plan itself, not a prerequisite program; prerequisite programs are foundational controls like sanitation, pest control, and supplier verification.
Question 3: During a hazard analysis, a food safety team determines that Listeria monocytogenes is a hazard 'reasonably likely to occur' in a ready-to-eat deli meat facility. What should be the team's next step?
- Immediately shut down production until Listeria is eliminated
- Identify or establish a CCP to control the Listeria hazard (Correct answer)
- Document the hazard as acceptable since it is naturally occurring
- Notify the FDA before continuing production
Correct answer: Identify or establish a CCP to control the Listeria hazard
When a hazard is determined to be reasonably likely to occur, the HACCP team must identify a CCP or other control measure to address it.
Question 4: The internal cooking temperature for poultry in the United States is set at 165°F (74°C). In HACCP terms, this temperature represents a:
- Critical limit (Correct answer)
- Operational limit
- Performance standard
- Action threshold
Correct answer: Critical limit
A critical limit is the maximum or minimum value to which a biological, chemical, or physical parameter must be controlled at a CCP to prevent food safety hazards.
Question 5: Which HACCP principle involves establishing procedures to verify that the HACCP system is working effectively?
- Principle 4 — Establish monitoring procedures
- Principle 6 — Establish verification procedures (Correct answer)
- Principle 7 — Establish record-keeping procedures
- Principle 5 — Establish corrective actions
Correct answer: Principle 6 — Establish verification procedures
Principle 6 requires establishing verification activities such as audits, calibration, and microbial testing to confirm the HACCP system is functioning as intended.
Question 6: A food handler notices that the internal temperature of a roast beef did not reach the required 145°F (63°C) during cooking. According to HACCP corrective action procedures, what should happen first?
- Discard the product immediately without further evaluation
- Continue cooking the product until the critical limit is met, then document the deviation (Correct answer)
- Serve the product and note the deviation in the log for future reference
- Notify the local health department before taking any action
Correct answer: Continue cooking the product until the critical limit is met, then document the deviation
Corrective action requires that the product be held and evaluated, and if possible, the process deviation corrected (e.g., continuing to cook) before the product is released.
Question 7: In the HACCP decision tree, if a control measure exists at a step for a significant hazard but the step is NOT designed to eliminate or reduce the hazard to acceptable levels, how is that step classified?
- It is classified as a CCP and critical limits must be established
- It is not a CCP and the hazard must be addressed at a subsequent step or through a prerequisite program (Correct answer)
- It is classified as a minor control point requiring only visual monitoring
- It is automatically documented as an acceptable risk in the hazard analysis
Correct answer: It is not a CCP and the hazard must be addressed at a subsequent step or through a prerequisite program
If a step has a control measure but is not specifically designed to control the hazard to acceptable levels, it is not a CCP; the hazard must be controlled elsewhere.
HIC Food Safety & HACCP Principles 2
Which of the following best describes a Critical Control Point (CCP) in a HACCP plan?